Three years ago, I reached the heaviest weight of my life, and barely made enough money to cover my bills, groceries & fuel. I decided enough was enough and over the next 4 months, I found inexpensive ways to lose weight. Ultimately, I lost 20 pounds without spending a dime to do it.

It is possible to lose significant weight on a tight budget, I did it with these 10 resources.

1. Setting My Intention to Find Inexpensive Ways to Lose Weight

Before I could even think of losing weight, I needed to set a clear intention. I knew I wanted to lose 40 pounds, and I gave myself a one-year deadline.

If I hadn’t been clear with myself about what I wanted to do and how long I had to accomplish the goal, I never could have tackled this one.

2. Improving Daily Habits

After setting a very clear intention to find inexpensive ways to lose weight, my next step was to take a good look at my daily habits. I removed habits that didn’t support my goals, and I replaced them with more productive ones.

In other words, I stopped coming home from work to a glass of wine, bowl of buttery popcorn and Friends marathon. I started coming home to a nice, long walk with the dog & some lemon water.

3. Utilizing My Local Library

I also started devouring self-improvement improvement books. Some of the biggies that really took my journey to a new level were “The Miracle Morning,” “The Slight Edge,” and “You Are a Badass.”

4. Locating Free Workout Demonstrations & Ideas

When I wasn’t reading or walking, I was scouring the internet for free workout ideas. Hello, Pinterest!! What a wealth of inexpensive ways to lose weight to be found there.

5. Knowing My Company’s Benefits

Working in HR meant that I had a pretty good handle on the benefits offered by the company I work for. I am lucky enough to be employed by a company who offers a wellness reimbursement program (gym memberships, pedometers etc.), a corporate gym, and company-sponsored wellness challenges.

Our gym also offers several free classes with local experts and free access to on-demand fitness classes.

It is definitely worthwhile to check with your company’s HR department, or search your employee handbook for information on these types of benefits. You may be surprised!

6. Podcasts

Motivational podcasts really kept me working during this time. Instead of music, I was usually listening to a podcast during my daily walk.

Hal Elrod’s Achieve Your Goals podcast has always been a favorite, along with Michael Hyatt’s This is Your Life.

7. YouTube

Pinterest is full of great ideas for workouts, but sometimes it’s not so easy (what are mountain-climbers??)

YouTube takes it to the next level.

There are so many professionals out there offering up completely free training videos, yoga videos, dance videos and any other kind of exercise you can think of! The best part about it is the ability to pause and rewind as many times as you need to really get it down.

8. Free Apps

There are dozens of free apps out there to fit all of your fitness needs!

Apps like MyFitness Pal, FitBit and Hubbub Health encouraged me to make small changes in my day-to-day life with cell phone reminders and emails. They even include access to healthy recipes and nutritional information on the go.

9. Community

Yoga, Pilates, and Zumba classes are offered for free at community centers in my area.

Look around your city’s business windows and bulletin boards for flyers. Some of these events may even be advertised on Facebook.

10. Created My Own Fitness Tracker

You can gain access to my physical well-being tracker here.

Why Wait? Start Using These Inexpensive Ways to Lose Weight Today!

It is possible to lose a significant amount of weight without spending any extra money.

Once a clear goal has been set, with a target completion date in mind, you can create a habit tracker to be sure your daily habits are supportive of your goals. From there, there are so many free resources surrounding you, waiting for you to take advantage of them!

Don’t be afraid to search your local library, the internet and your employee handbook. Download your free fitness tracker and ask around your community to locate free group classes.

You can gain access to my physical well-being tracker here.

Once you set your mind to a goal, anything is possible.

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